Ford may be looking to bring more entertainment into your life, by building it right into your next SUV or crossover, according to a recently published patent.
Originally filed in 2017 but published recently – and uncovered by The Drive –, the patent mentions a video projector mounted to the SUV liftgate, which would act as a video projector in primary mode and floodlight in secondary mode. Ford tells the publication that not all patents filed by them will translate into an actual marketable product since they “submit patents on new inventions as a normal course of business,” but if this were ever to become reality, it would combine fun and practicality in one product.
“The video projector may be mounted to a vehicle liftgate, which is rotatable between a closed position and an open position. In one embodiment of this disclosure, the video projector is configured to project video in a direction away from the vehicle when the liftgate is in the open position,” the patent reads.
This way, it would deliver solid entertainment on the go, which would make it ideal for long family vacations or shorter fishing / hunting trips with friends, for example. It would be a “convenient and multi-purpose entertainment accessory,” as Ford puts it.
“In the secondary mode, the video projector may function as a floodlight, insect-attracting light, bug zapper (more formally known as an electric insect killer), a reverse light, or a brake light, as examples,” the patent adds.
This would add an extra layer of practicality to the projector and make it more versatile. However, for that to happen, Ford would have to find a workaround for the issue of inserting a sensitive device into a part of the car that’s meant to be slammed shut.
The Drive adds that, if this were ever to become an actual offering in Ford’s catalog, it would probably also include connections to our other devices, from smartphones to laptops. The pics in the gallery show how this built-in movie theater projector would work.
“The video projector may be mounted to a vehicle liftgate, which is rotatable between a closed position and an open position. In one embodiment of this disclosure, the video projector is configured to project video in a direction away from the vehicle when the liftgate is in the open position,” the patent reads.
This way, it would deliver solid entertainment on the go, which would make it ideal for long family vacations or shorter fishing / hunting trips with friends, for example. It would be a “convenient and multi-purpose entertainment accessory,” as Ford puts it.
“In the secondary mode, the video projector may function as a floodlight, insect-attracting light, bug zapper (more formally known as an electric insect killer), a reverse light, or a brake light, as examples,” the patent adds.
This would add an extra layer of practicality to the projector and make it more versatile. However, for that to happen, Ford would have to find a workaround for the issue of inserting a sensitive device into a part of the car that’s meant to be slammed shut.
The Drive adds that, if this were ever to become an actual offering in Ford’s catalog, it would probably also include connections to our other devices, from smartphones to laptops. The pics in the gallery show how this built-in movie theater projector would work.